1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer systems and, more particularly, to file-based storage systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer systems often process large quantities of information, including application data and executable code configured to process such data. In numerous embodiments, computer systems provide various types of mass storage devices configured to store data, such as magnetic and optical disk drives, tape drives, etc. To provide a regular and systematic interface through which to access their stored data, such storage devices are frequently organized into hierarchies of files by software such as an operating system. Often a file defines a minimum level of data granularity that a user can manipulate within a storage device, although various applications and operating system processes may operate on data within a file at a lower level of granularity than the entire file.
As the number of files and the amount of data stored therein increases, efficiently locating and retrieving file data becomes more challenging. Various kinds of search technology may be employed to locate data satisfying specified characteristics, such as file names or data patterns stored within files. To improve search performance, some search technologies employ indexing of the target data to be searched (e.g., file data), through which desired content may be more readily accessed.
However, creating indexes may consume substantial processing time and resources, particularly if the amount of data to be indexed is large and changes frequently. Therefore, unnecessarily indexing content may result in a waste of processing time and resources, potentially degrading system performance.